Today the TV was broken all day. Well, as far as my daughter knew it was. I told her as soon as we got up that the TV was broken and would not turn on today. I was expecting a total breakdown, but I was surprised because she said “okay. E want milk.” Phew, crisis averted. (Also, my daughter still speaks in third person… we are working on it).
What did we do instead? We played with her stacking cups, we painted, we colored with chalk, we tried not to pass out from heat exhaustion (why are there so many hots outside right now? I can’t handle all the hots!), and we went to the doctor because she has a little infection around her belly button. Then we came home, had lunch, and took a nap (both of us — score). After nap the TV was still broken *wink wink wink*, and she was still fine. She actually played upstairs with her daddy for an hour while I went to pick up her prescriptions and some dinner. After dinner we played outside on the porch, then we played with puzzles before bedtime.
What was the point, you say? Well, I’m tired of the TV. I’m sick of all the background noise. I want silence, or at least just my daughter saying the word “mommy” 45,000 times in a day. That’s enough noise for me for the day. So, what was the outcome? Was today any different than any other day? Yes, it was actually. Do we always play? Yes. Do we always play with cups and puzzles and paint? Yes. The difference was her attention span and her attitude. She was so much more interested in what she was doing. She was focused. And she had almost no breakdowns the entire day. She usually has a couple an hour. Not tantrums, per-say, but just little fits about things like… wanting to have a pickle for breakfast, or wanting to go into the bathroom just so she can close the door, or needing to sit on the side of the couch that I am sitting on. Today we had none of that. It was marvelous.
I suggest you all try breaking your TV for just a day. See how your little one(s) handle it. You never know, it may be the best day you’ve had in a while. I know mine was.
Perhaps the TV will stay broken just a bit longer…
Wifey, Mommy, and What Have You 